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Dan
11-09-2005, 09:36
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 8, 2005) --

On this Veterans Day, we honor all Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen for selflessly serving our Nation.

The history of the United States is replete with stories of Americans who displayed the steadfast courage that defines our country. Today, the brave men and women of our Armed Forces continue that legacy as they write history in the war on terror.

Nov. 11 has long been a day of reflection on the sacrifices of our Armed Forces. From Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 proclamation of Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I, to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the 83rd United States Congress changing the name to Veterans Day in the aftermath of World War II, we have retained the noble purpose of the day — to express gratitude to our servicemen and women.

We salute our 25 million living veterans, and like President Wilson, have “solemn pride in the heroism” of those who died in service to this great Nation.

We stand as proudly beside our Soldiers as did President Wilson and the Americans of his generation. Your sacrifices have preserved for people around the world the same blessings of freedom and the limitless opportunity that we enjoy in the United States today.

May each of you have a safe Veterans Day. May God bless the men and women in our Army. And may God continue to bless our great nation.

Signed,

Kenneth O. Preston
Sergeant Major of the Army

Peter J. Schoomaker
General, US Army
Chief of Staff

Francis J. Harvey
Secretary of the Army

Gypsy
11-09-2005, 13:07
“Men who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I express my sincere gratitude, thanks and appreciation for all of the Veterans of this great Nation, past to present times. Thanks to your commitment and selfless service, America continues to be the greatest Country in the world. It truly is the land of the free...because of the brave.

I thank you and I honor you. Happy Veterans Day to you all.

vsvo
11-09-2005, 13:44
Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Trip_Wire (RIP)
11-09-2005, 17:57
T TAKES COURAGE
by Nick Cavallaro*

It takes courage
To be the parents of a promising lad,
The pride and hope of his mother and dad.
To sacrifice him with a brave farewell,
To suffer the pangs of a warring hell.

It takes courage
To leave the home he loves so well
To face the battle shot and shell.
With bullets flying ‘round his head’
And about his feet the dying and dead.

It takes courage
To answer the call for a new recruit
To jump from a plane with a parachute,
He sweats it out to the cannon sound,
While the enemy awaits him on the ground

It takes courage
To fly a plane and high in the sky,
To fight to victory, or fail and die.
To pilot a ship to the depths of the sea,
And do it all just for you and me.

It takes courage
For the bravest and the best who go to the front,
To lay down their lives, to bear the brunt,
To be poisoned with gas, to tread the pike,
with others at home on a sit down strike

It takes courage
Friends, when we salute the American Flag
We are not just saluting a beautiful rag,
For she unfurls, on her towering mast
There’s courage of the future and courage of the past.

Now the privilige yours, the duty mine,
To show our courage behind the lines,
To give, to work, to preach, to pray,
until God grants Old Glory a peaceful day.

Then this world will be a paradise,
and we’ll reap the reward of sacrifice,
For Christ shall be known as prince of peace
When this hell on earth, these wars shall cease.

*Nick Cavallaro, Anmoore, WV. Original member of 82nd Abn. Fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, Holland, and was killed in Belgium, January 3, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge. (as printed in the Clarksburg Exponent/Telegram, Clarksburg, WV., 11 Nov 2000)

Dan
11-10-2005, 21:46
Veterans Day, 2005

November 2, 2005

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have sacrificed for our liberty and for the security of our Nation. We express deep appreciation to our veterans -- the men and women who stepped forward when America needed them, triumphed over brutal enemies, liberated continents, and answered the prayers of millions around the globe.

From the beaches of Normandy and the snows of Korea to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our courageous veterans have sacrificed so that Americans and others could live in freedom. As we mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, we remember the millions of veterans who crossed oceans and defeated two of the most ruthless military forces the world has ever known. The freedom that the children and grandchildren of these veterans now enjoy is a monument to their fallen comrades and the generations of patriots who have served our country.

Through their commitment to freedom, America 's veterans have lifted millions of lives and made our country and the world more secure. They have demonstrated to us that freedom is the mightiest force on Earth. We resolve that their sacrifices will always be remembered by a grateful Nation.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service men and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2005, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 6 through November 12, 2005, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I urge all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to encourage and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Stargazer
11-11-2005, 12:04
Thank you for your service to our great country. It is the actions and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform that tell the story of what has and will continue to make America great. Godspeed to you all, now and forever more.

Sten
11-11-2005, 13:27
Thank you for your service! Our country and the free world is in your debt!

aricbcool
11-11-2005, 18:06
Happy Veterans Day!

Thank you all for your service.

--Aric